Well so here I go with the movies that have impacted me the most. The one that has impacted me the most is “Katha”. Directed by Sai Paranjape it was released in Indian Cinemas in the year 1983 and had stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah (character Rajaram Puroshottam Joshi), Farooq Sheikh (Bashu) and Deepti Naval (Sandhya Sabnis) in the lead roles. The story is based in a local Mumbai chawl and revolves around its residents. The main plot is that Rajaram, who is a middle class boy (A clerk in an organization called “Footprint Shoes”), is in love in Sandhya, his neighbor. Sandhya, like any other young girl, wants a life partner who is smart and what she puts in as “robiella” (sexy, handsome). Enter Bashu who is all of that. Sandhya falls in love and decides to marry him…the story culminates when Bashu turns out to be a crook and leaves Sandhya at the night of the wedding. Rajaram steps in and gets his love. This is how the win of an innately good man over a smart but a characterless man is established.
When I first saw the movie, I was amazed at the simplicity by which the director has established the character of Bashu. Bashu is not just one person. The movie portrayed that if you are a Rajaram, there will be a Bashu to exploit you. It tells me that a person has to develop, firstly, a sense to recognize such people and then develop a shield against them.
The movie also satires the desire in all of us to “jump the queue” and become instantly successful. A lot of people indulge in creepy practices to reach the top of the success ladder…though the director maintains that moving ahead in life through the age old practice of hard work can be tedious and without a soul to give you any credit, it does pay off in the end. The goodness of the person stands out even if the financial success does not match the desired stereotype. What you choose describes who you are.
